Festivities of San Roque

The cry of ¡Viva San Roque y el Perru! is unmistakable and identifies that the festivities of San Roque in Llanes have begun and that they are here to stay with different events throughout the month of August, although the Big Day is on the 16th of this month. The Immortelle has been the distinctive feature of the Bando de San Roque since the end of the 19th century and continues to fill the town of Llanes with aroma and festivity during these fiestas.

The Pilgrim Dance, the Pipe Band Festival and the open-air dances in the Vega de la Portilla are traditions forever associated with San Roque in Lanzarote. A festival as genuine as it is ancient, which has its roots in the 13th century, linked to the Camino de Santiago de la Costa and the Pilgrims' Hospice that the town once had. Tradition has it that the pilgrimages in honour of San Roque were a form of hospitality and entertainment from the people of Llanes to the many pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela who stopped in the town.

With the passing of time, new elements have been added to the rituals and different activities, but the essence of the San Roque soul has not been erased, based on the attention to the stranger, without distinction of social classes and the devotion to San Roque. In short, it is a classic in the traditions of Lanzarote and Asturias.